| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and good Tuesday morning. Dilemma — The conundrum that confronts Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis if he runs for president against one-time ally Donald Trump was on full display Monday. Asked and answered — After getting pressure over the weekend from Trump allies, the Republican governor responded to the prospect of Trump getting indicted by ripping into Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. DeSantis called him a “Soros DA” — a reference to billionaire Democratic donor George Soros — who was part of a group of prosecutors who are a “menace to society” and ignore real issues around crime. OK. That’s a line of criticism in the spirit of what many other Republican supporters of Trump have said. Going places — But DeSantis also threw in a cover of references to adult film star Stormy Daniels. “I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair,” he said. Staying out of it — And then he said he was not — and would not be — “involved” in any extradition of the former president. “I have no interest in getting involved in some type of manufactured circus by some Soros DA,” he said. The governor added, “I’ve got real issues I’ve got to deal with here in the state of Florida.” (A side note: The governor would not be involved with extradition if Trump surrenders, but he could delay the proceedings if it’s contested.) Response — Suffice to say, these comments did not assuage Trump world … by a long shot. Trump hit back, as did a host of other figures close to the former president. Donald Trump Jr. called it “pure weakness.” Chiming in — Trump himself took two swings at DeSantis on his social media channel. One said that “Ron DeSanctimonious will probably find out about FALSE ACCUSATIONS & FAKE STORIES sometime in the future, as he gets older, wiser, and better known.” Another one — An additional post on Monday evening said that “Ron DeSanctimonious is dropping in the Polls so fast that he soon may be falling behind young Vivek Ramaswamy” and he then hit DeSantis over his past positions on Social Security and Medicare while he was in Congress. Lose, lose? — The counterargument here is that no matter what DeSantis said he would have gotten hit by Trump and his supporters because he appears poised to enter the presidential race in the next few months. Yes, but — So far, DeSantis has avoided open confrontation with Trump. He has made a couple of slightly provocative comments but then has stepped back by saying he is focused on fighting Joe Biden instead of other Republicans. Strategy — Can this continue to work? DeSantis has built himself up as someone who won’t back down. But how long can he withstand the constant pounding by Trump? Or does he enter the contest already heavily bruised and defined by the president’s attacks? Is this the path to wrestle the GOP nomination away from Trump? — WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official for Gov. DeSantis. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | |  | DESANTISLAND | | WEIGHING IN AT LAST — DeSantis said he won’t get involved with Trump’s potential indictment ‘in any way,’ by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday told reporters he won’t get involved in Donald Trump’s potential extradition if the former president is indicted by the Manhattan district attorney. In his first comments on Trump’s likely indictment, DeSantis said he only knew about “rumors” of a pending arrest of Trump related to an investigation into payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election cycle. — “DeSantis wants to ban federal digital currency, even before it exists,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Jeffrey Schweers — “Ron DeSantis changes tack on failed Silicon Valley Bank, now blames ‘mismanagement,’” by Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | FAMILIAR ROLE — House GOP’s Sunshine State retreat turns into a Trump defense play, by POLITICO’s Jordain Carney and Olivia Beavers: But Republicans are quickly tuning into their political muscle memory to carry out a block-and-tackle play on [former President Donald] Trump’s behalf. Three GOP chairs — Reps. Jim Jordan (Ohio), James Comer (Ky.) and Bryan Steil (Wis.), who oversee the Judiciary, Oversight and Administration panels, respectively — sent a letter Monday to [Manhattan District Attorney Alvin] Bragg demanding he sit down with committee staff, as well as hand over a broad swath of documents including any related to federal funding or communications with the Justice Department and other federal law enforcement. | 
Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images |
MEANWHILE — Trump seeks to stave off another indictment — this time in Georgia, by POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein: As he prepares to face a likely indictment in Manhattan, former President Donald Trump moved Monday to stave off another one. In a 483-page filing, Trump’s attorney Drew Findling urged a state court in Georgia to prohibit an Atlanta-area district attorney there from filing charges related to Trump’s bid to subvert the 2020 election. The DA, Fani Willis, has spent the last year leading a “special purpose grand jury” investigation into efforts by Trump to convince state officials to throw out Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia, as well as his broader efforts to subvert his defeat in the presidential election.
— Pro-Trump protesters claim low turnout ‘by design, by POLITICO’s Wesley Parnell — “Trump silent on abortion as 2024 campaign pushes forward,” by The Associated Press’ Steve Peoples — “4 guilty of conspiracy in latest Oath Keepers Jan. 6 trial,” by The Associated Press’ Michael Kunzelman and Alanna Durkin Richer | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | DNC CHAIR COMING TO TALLY — Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison is swinging into Tallahassee on March 29th for an evening reception being hosted by Brice and Houston Barnes. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried is also expected to attend the fundraiser that will benefit the Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund. The suggested donation amounts range from $250 to $5,000. | 
Sean Rayford for POLITICO |
NEXT BIG BATTLE — Voters in Jacksonville today head to the polls for local elections, which includes a heated battle for mayor that could turn into the first notable contest between Republicans and Democrats since the two state parties tapped new leaders.
There are seven candidates running for the position now held by outgoing Mayor Lenny Curry, who was once the Florida GOP chair. The top candidates will go to a May 16 runoff if no one claims a majority in the first round of voting. The race — which so far has had about 14 percent turnout — could wind up being between Daniel Davis, a former Republican legislator and CEO of the local Chamber of Commerce, and Donna Deegan, a former television journalist and nonprofit executive who previously ran for Congress. The election has seen its fair share of negative television ads, lawsuits and finger-pointing with a lot of it coming between Davis and another Republican — LeAnna Cumber — who is on the Jacksonville City Council. Here’s why the race is important: Jacksonville, which is a consolidated government with Duval County, has been one of the top battlegrounds in the state in recent years. DeSantis won Duval in November, but President Joe Biden won the county in 2020 as did Democratic nominee for governor Andrew Gillum in 2018. Both Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried and Republican Party of Florida Chair Christian Ziegler told Playbook that they plan to jump into the fray if it’s a Davis vs. Deegan runoff as expected. — “Florida GOP chairman Christian Ziegler to rally Jacksonville voters Tuesday,” by Florida Politics A.G. Gancarski | | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | NUMBER FIVE — DeSantis gets another pick for Florida Supreme Court, by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will get to place yet another justice on the state’s highest court after long-time Justice Ricky Polston announced his resignation on Monday. The 67-year-old Polston was first appointed to the court by then-Gov. Charlie Crist in 2008, where he was initially a member of a conservative minority that has since widened considerably since DeSantis first took office back in 2019 and appointed four of the current justices. Voters in November chose to retain him in office for another six-year term. Timing — Polston will resign at the end of this month, meaning that he will step down before the court is expected to decide the fate of a contentious 15-week ban on abortion that is being challenged. The highly-anticipated case could give the high court a chance to overturn a more than 30-year-old ruling that determined abortion restrictions were a violation of the state’s right to privacy embedded in the state constitution. MOVING FORWARD — “Florida six-week abortion bill clears Senate committee with one Republican voting no,” by USA Today Network-Florida’s Kathryn Varn: “A Republican is breaking ranks on the proposed six-week abortion ban advancing through the Florida legislature. The controversial legislation passed through a Senate committee Monday, with one Republican joining Democrats in voting against it. Rep. Alex Calatayud, R-Miami, said before the bill's passage that she planned to vote down Senate Bill 300 because she gave her word to her constituents that she would champion Florida's current 15-week ban.” THE AGENDA — Florida senators support restricting pronouns in schools in expansion of Parental Rights in Education bill, by POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury: Florida senators backed legislation Monday aiming to bolster parental rights protections in the state by restricting the use of pronouns among teachers and students alike if they don’t match their sex at birth. By taking up the proposal, the Senate joins the House in supporting expansions to the state’s controversial Parental Rights in Education law, which passed last year and was labeled “Don’t Say Gay” by critics, limiting how gender identity and sexual orientation can be taught in schools. The Senate’s bill, SB 1320, advanced through the Education Pre-K-12 committee 9-3 with Democrats in opposition, claiming it amounts to censorship and sex discrimination. UNANIMOUS — “Bill allowing death penalty for child rapists in Florida gets bipartisan support,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Romy Ellenbogen: “A bill that would challenge existing Supreme Court precedent by allowing the death penalty for people who sexually batter young children moved through its first committee in the Florida Senate with a unanimous vote on Monday. The bill challenges a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Kennedy v. Louisiana, that determined the death penalty could not be applied for the rape of a child, saying it was a violation of the Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Currently, the application of the death penalty for any case other than murder is unconstitutional.” MOUNT TALLAHASSEE — “Florida lawmakers consider blocking tenant bill of rights laws,” by News Service of Florida’s Jim Saunders: “After some cities and counties have passed ordinances about renters’ rights, a Florida House panel on Monday approved a bill that would lead to state law trumping local regulations governing landlords and tenants. The Republican-controlled House Civil Justice Subcommittee voted 11-5 along party lines to support the bill (HB 1417), which sponsor Tiffany Esposito, R-Fort Myers, said would bring 'consistency' across the state.” — “Bears, wasps and lawyers? Bill to reduce campground liability clears House panel,” by Florida Politics’ Gray Rohrer | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | DRAGNET — “Undercover agents saw nothing ‘lewd’ at Orlando drag show. Florida is going after venue anyway,” by Miami Herald’s Nicholas Nehamas and Ana Ceballos: “The Dec. 28 performance featured campy skits like 'Screwdolph the Red-Nippled Man Deer' and shimmying, bare-chested men who wouldn’t have been out of place at a Madonna concert. Also a hip thrust or two, similar to what is sometimes indulged in by NFL players after a touchdown. All of it was dutifully recorded by the undercover agents on state-issued iPhones. But while the agents took photos of three minors at the Orlando drag show — who appeared to be accompanied by adults — they acknowledged that nothing indecent had happened on stage, according to an incident report obtained exclusively by the Miami Herald.” QUICK EXIT — “Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard resigns suddenly amid frustration,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Tracey McManus: “Less than one hour into the City Council’s budget workshop Monday morning, Mayor Frank Hibbard said he was concerned about the direction his colleagues were taking the city, packed his briefcase and resigned from the dais.” — “Miami Beach officials vote not to extend midnight spring break curfew this weekend,” by Miami Herald’s Aaron Leibowitz — “Rap star XXXTentacion was murdered 5 years ago. The 3 men accused of ambusing and robbing him have been found guilty,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Rafael Olmeda | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | |
BIRTHDAYS: House Speaker Paul Renner … Julie Hauserman , author and former journalist ... John Mark Kolb of Rep. María Salazar’s (R-Fla.) office.
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